1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for searching for data in at least two databases, in particular for searching for telephone directory, address book or appointments diary entries or the like in at least two telephone directory, address book or appointments diary databases or the like, and also to a database system having at least two databases which is particularly suitable for carrying out the inventive method for searching for data.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
As electronic devices such as mobile telephones, that is to say car telephones and xe2x80x98mobilesxe2x80x99, cordless telephones, which communicate via a base station connected to the landline network, electronic notebooks and PCs, which contain databases, such as personal telephone directories, appointments diaries, personal address books, task lists and the like, become more and more widespread, there is the increasing problem that a user needs to manage various electronic telephone directories and/or electronic appointments diaries. If a user uses a cordless telephone with an electronic telephone directory at home in his apartment, for example, then the electronic telephone directory primarily stores private telephone numbers, whereas his work mobile primarily stores work telephone numbers. Further telephone directory entries may be stored in the car telephone, and if he additionally uses a private mobile telephone or mobile as well, this contains further, private and work telephone numbers. In this context, important telephone numbers are frequently stored in a plurality of communication devices used by the user, while other telephone numbers can be found only in a single one of the personal telephone directories in each case. In addition, the user may also have access to electronic telephone directories in his private and/or workplace PC.
In addition, a lot of mobile telephones operated with a SIM card (subscriber identity module) have the facility to store telephone directory entries either in the memory of the SIM card or in a further memory of the appliance itself. This is the case with the Nokia 9110 Communicator, for example. While the SIM card can hold 125 entries in the case of the current prior art, several 100 to several 1000 entries can be made in the memory area of the Nokia 9110 Communicator, depending on the additional memory used.
Parallel access to the various memory areas or the various electronic telephone directories is currently not possible, which means that a user must either constantly coordinate all his available telephone directories with one another if he wants to have all telephone numbers constantly available, or he needs to search through the individual electronic telephone directories one after the other. The problem described in this case in connection with electronic telephone directories with mobile and cordless telephones also concerns, by way of example, address books, appointments diaries and other databases which are provided in PCs, electronic appointments diaries and planners and the like, however.
DE 196 44 104 C1 discloses a communication device which has a main data memory in a mobile telephone and has a call number memory in a voice dialling unit connected to the mobile telephone by means of a cable. In this context, the main data memory serves as a database for a personal telephone directory, while the call number memory stores some of the data recorded in the personal telephone directory, which data can be used to access the telephone directory entries in order to select a stored telephone number. In this case, the main data memory has access to the call number memory and is able to change and/or add to entered data in order to ensure that the telephone numbers stored in the main data memory can be reliably accessed using the call number memory.
It is not necessary to search through the two interconnected memories simultaneously in this case, since the call number memory does not represent another personal telephone directory, but rather only a data list which stores for telephone directory entries in the main data memory the name of the entry and the memory location.
Against this background, the invention is based on the object of providing a method and a database system of the type mentioned in the introduction which allows simultaneous access to two or more databases in order to be able to perform a search therein as in a single database.
This object is achieved by the method according to Claim 1 and by the database system according to Claim 9. Advantageous developments of the method and of the database system are described in the respective subordinate subclaims.
The inventive method is distinguished in that, following entry of a search term, on the basis of the entered search term, the predecessor or a plurality of predecessors and the successor or a plurality of successors to the search term and, if available, the search term itself from each of the databases are stored in a search table, and the search term, if stored in the search table, or that term from the successors stored in the search table which comes closest after the entered search term is displayed. In this context, it is particularly advantageous for the displayed successor to be used as a search term for updating the search table.
According to the invention, a search table is thus set up in which, for each connected database, at least the immediate predecessor and the immediate successor to the entered search term and, if the search term itself has likewise been found in the database, the search term itself are also stored. If the search term itself has not been found in any of the connected databases, then, among the immediate successors stored in the search table, the one selected is that which comes closest after the search term. This selected successor is then displayed to a user. On the basis of this, the user can then display the next term or the previous term. He thus has the impression that he is searching for the desired information in a single database. This allows the user to search in various databases just as simply as when searching in a single database.
Another fundamental advantage of the inventive method is that, of the individual databases, in each case only the entries which come closest to the entered search term need be transferred from the database to the search table. This is particularly advantageous if the individual databases are stored in different electronic devices which communicate with one another only via communication links. In this case, the transfer time is significantly reduced, so that the electronic appliance which controls the search on the basis of the entry by the user reacts very quickly to the user entry, which represents a high level of convenience of use. Another advantage is that the search table requires only relatively little memory space, since, in the simplest case, each connected database requires only three memory locations for storing the respective names or terms, and only one memory location is required for storing the database entry associated with the respective term displayed.
The inventive method is thus suitable for searching in databases particularly where, despite low memory capacities and low data transfer rates, it is necessary to search a plurality of databases quickly so that the user feels as though he is searching through a single database.
Since, in the event of the entered search term not having been found in one of the databases, the displayed successor to the search term is used as the new search term for updating the search table, the search becomes not only even faster for the user, but also more convenient, since the search is performed in the precise order of sorting, that is to say in alphabetical order when searching for names in telephone directory or address book databases, for example. According to the invention, the search is performed as though all the available databases were to form a single database sorted on the basis of the selected sorting criterion, that is to say alphabetically, for example.
Once the search term or its closest succeeding successor has been displayed, the displayed term can either be selected in order to display and/or select for further processing the data associated therewith, or a new search term can be determined for continuing the search. In this context, a new search term is expediently determined by cycling or scrolling through the terms stored in the search table. In this case, the new search term selected is expediently the next predecessor or the next successor to the displayed term from the search table.
In one advantageous refinement of the invention, only the respective predecessors and successors to the search term in the connected databases and also, if available, the search term itself are stored in the search table in response to a search query, and the data associated with a search term are read from the appropriate database and stored only for the term displayed, in order that they may be displayed and/or processed further upon request.
For the purpose of further simplifying and accelerating the display of the database entries once the desired search term has been found, it is advantageous if each term stored in the search table has an associated unique identification number, where, for the purpose of reading the data associated with a displayed term from the appropriate database, the identification number of the displayed term is transmitted with a read request.
One option in accordance with another refinement of the inventive method is that, together with the respective predecessors and the successors to the search term and also, if available, with the search term itself, the associated data from the connected databases are also stored in the search table in response to a search query in order that they may be displayed and/or processed further upon request. This refinement of the method is particularly advantageous if the relatively high data transfer rates between the databases and the search table are possible, and the search table itself has sufficient memory space available.
The invention makes it possible to search simultaneously, quickly and conveniently in two or more databases by combining the databases into one database system in which each of the databases has an associated database control device.
In this case, the database system also comprises a database primary control apparatus which can be connected to the database control devices for the purposes of transmitting data and control commands to the database control devices and receiving them therefrom, and which has an associated search table memory which is able to store data transmitted from the database control devices, and a user interface which is connected to the database primary control apparatus and via which search terms and control commands can be entered for the purpose of simultaneously searching for data in all the connected databases, and via which terms and data found during the search in the connected databases can be output.
One advantageous provision is that the database primary control apparatus is connected to a database access interface to which the database control devices of the databases can be connected for the purpose of interchanging data and control commands using communication links. In this case, the communication links provided may be radio links, such as radio-frequency interfaces operating at radio frequencies, e.g. with a short range on the basis of a Bluetooth standard, with a long range on the basis of the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or UMTS standard (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service), infrared links or else wired links.
The invention can, in principle, be used for all databases whose entries can be clearly organized in any form using xe2x80x9cless thanxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cequal toxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cgreater thanxe2x80x9d. On the basis of the main area of application of the present invention, namely communication, provision is made for the databases to be telephone directory, address book and/or appointments diary databases.
In this case, it is particularly expedient if the databases are provided on various apparatuses, at least one of which is a telephone, in particular a mobile telephone, with the database primary control apparatus being provided in the telephone, in particular in the mobile telephone. In this case, the user interface of the telephone, that is to say its various input and output facilities, such as keypad and possibly voice command input unit and also screen and voice output unit, can be used as the user interface for the database system.
In another development of the invention, a plurality of database primary control apparatuses are provided, each of which is arranged in a different apparatus.